Australia invited to join Trump’s ‘board for peace’
Governments have reacted cautiously to Donald Trump’s invitation to join his ‘board of peace’ initiative aimed at resolving conflicts globally, a plan that diplomats said could harm the work of the UN.
Only Hungary, whose leader is a close Trump ally, gave an unequivocal acceptance in response to the invitations, which have been addressed to some 60 nations and began arriving in European capitals on Saturday, according to diplomats.
The leaders of Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Hungary, Canada, the European Commission and key Middle East powers were among those invited, according to officials.
As Lorenzo Tondo reports this morning, far-right ministers in Israel have attacked the White House’s picks for the panel – which includes representatives of Turkey and Qatar, both of which have been critical of Israel’s war in the strip:
The board would be chaired for life by Trump and would start by addressing the Gaza conflict and then be expanded to deal with other conflicts, according to a copy of the letter and draft charter seen by Reuters.
Member states would be limited to three-year terms unless they pay US$1bn each to fund the board’s activities and earn permanent membership, the letter states.
A mandate for a Board of Peace was authorised by the UN security council in November, but only through 2027 and solely focused on the Gaza conflict. Russia and China, two veto wielding powers, abstained, complaining that the resolution did not give the UN a clear role in the future of Gaza.
Key events
Staying on Marles, the deputy PM says he “welcomes” the invitation from Donald Trump for Australia to join the ‘board of peace’.
But over whether Australia will join that board, Marles remains a little more coy.
We welcome the invitation as we do all the efforts of the Trump Administration to bring about peace in the Middle East. We need to see an end to the conflict there for humanitarian assistance to flow and for that part part of the world to be rebuilt. In terms of the specific request, we will talk that through with America to understand what this means and what is involved.
Marles also won’t wade into commenting on the Trump administration’s pressure to buy Greenland, following its moves to tariff European nations.
He says the future of Greenland is a “matter for Denmark and Greenland”, but that the government does not support tariffs – a similar comment his colleague and cabinet minister, Katy Gallagher, made yesterday. Marles says:
They are the sovereign powers. That is who Australia recognises. That is the fundamental issue here. In terms of tariffs, we don’t support tariffs and we have been consistent in our position with the United States about opposing tariffs. We won’t get into a running commentary about the relationship between the United States and Europe.
You can read more about those tariffs here:
Coalition has ‘gone missing’ over anti-vilification laws, Richard Marles says
The deputy prime minister and defence minister, Richard Marles, says the Coalition has “gone missing” as the government tries to get the opposition to support its contentious hate bill (that it was forced to split over the weekend).
Marles is doing the media rounds for Labor this morning and starts on ABC News Breakfast, imploring the Coalition to come to the table.
What we wanted to do was to put in place the entirety of the report combating antisemitism that was done by Jillian Segal. We wanted anti-vilification laws put through the parliament. The Liberal party at that point said they supported it. The Jewish community want us to do it but when we get to the crunch, the Liberal party have gone missing.
This is not politicking between Labor and Liberal, this is politicking within the Liberal party. They have to get over their division and bring bipartisanship to our nation.
Asked about the Labor’s dip in the polls after the Bondi terror attack, Marles says the government isn’t focused on the polls, and that prime minister Anthony Albanese has “done an incredible job since 14 December”.
Barnaby Joyce ‘humbled’ by growing support for One Nation
Barnaby Joyce says One Nation has given Australians a “licence for an alternative” after a Newspoll, published by the Australian newspaper, showed support for the minor conservative party has risen to 22%, ahead of the Coalition’s primary vote of 21%.
Labor’s primary vote has also dipped to 32%, down four points since last year.
Speaking on Sunrise, Joyce – who defected to the party near the end of last year – said he was “humbled” by the support, and said it wasn’t an attack on Sussan Ley’s leadership of the Coalition.
It’s never been an attack on Sussan’s leadership. I think that what One Nation has done has given people licence for an alternative … And when you’ve got to make a choice between political correctness or looking after Australians, we’ll look after Australians first.
Joyce was joined by cabinet minister, Murray Watt, who said the results show “why you’re seeing so much division within the Coalition … it’s what’s drifting them further and further to the right”.
Krishani Dhanji
Good morning, Krishani Dhanji here with you for the first sitting day of the year, and it is going to be a big one.
There will be a condolence motion for the victims, families and first responders of the Bondi terror tragedy, while the government tries to pressure the Coalition to support its split-up hate speech laws (as the Greens have promised to pass gun reforms).
The Coalition will also be on alert this morning after the first Newspoll of the year paints them a bleak picture, and shows surging support for One Nation. The poll also shows a drop in popularity for the government.
Stick with us!
Australia invited to join Trump’s ‘board for peace’
Governments have reacted cautiously to Donald Trump’s invitation to join his ‘board of peace’ initiative aimed at resolving conflicts globally, a plan that diplomats said could harm the work of the UN.
Only Hungary, whose leader is a close Trump ally, gave an unequivocal acceptance in response to the invitations, which have been addressed to some 60 nations and began arriving in European capitals on Saturday, according to diplomats.
The leaders of Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Hungary, Canada, the European Commission and key Middle East powers were among those invited, according to officials.
As Lorenzo Tondo reports this morning, far-right ministers in Israel have attacked the White House’s picks for the panel – which includes representatives of Turkey and Qatar, both of which have been critical of Israel’s war in the strip:
The board would be chaired for life by Trump and would start by addressing the Gaza conflict and then be expanded to deal with other conflicts, according to a copy of the letter and draft charter seen by Reuters.
Member states would be limited to three-year terms unless they pay US$1bn each to fund the board’s activities and earn permanent membership, the letter states.
A mandate for a Board of Peace was authorised by the UN security council in November, but only through 2027 and solely focused on the Gaza conflict. Russia and China, two veto wielding powers, abstained, complaining that the resolution did not give the UN a clear role in the future of Gaza.
Welcome
Imogen Dewey
Good morning. Krishani Dhanji will be here shortly to take you through the day’s news as federal parliament is recalled for an urgent sitting in the wake of the Bondi terror attack.
After Anthony Albanese agreed to split draft laws, new gun control measures are set to pass with the support of the Greens.
But as Tom McIlroy reported yesterday, Jewish leaders are urging a last-minute compromise to secure tough new hate speech laws – the most controversial elements on vilification and intimidation were on pause because of strong opposition from the left and right of politics.
Let’s get started.
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